Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Treat or Repeat: A State Survey of Serious Mental Illness, Major Crimes and Community Treatment (2017)

Titled 'Treat or Repeat: A State Survey of Serious Mental Illness, Major Crimes and Community Treatment,' this survey delves into the differing outcomes experienced by Chuck Petrucelly and Jeanette Harper. It investigates how much of this disparity can be attributed to the states where they resided when symptoms developed. The survey reveals Maine, Petrucelly's residence, as one of the few states making significant efforts to prevent reoffending among individuals with serious mental illness who have committed major crimes. Conversely, Harper lived in West Virginia, a state with a comparatively weaker treatment system for those reintegrating into the community post-major crime. The question persists: would Harper's outcome have varied had she lived in a different state?